The present invention relates to three-dimensional chess-like strategy game, and more particularly to a game apparatus and a method of play.
Chess is a game of strategy. It has been in existence for over thousands of years. The rules of the games have varied with time and region, but a set of standardized rules has evolved for the game of chess, as we know it today. Since the standardization of chess, a significant amount of variation is introduced into the conventional chess game. One such variation of the game is a three-dimensional chess.
Since the first introduction of three-dimensional chess, many modification and changes of the game board have been developed. Different rules and variations of the game pieces have also been proposed. Nevertheless, none of the prior art games has achieved widespread acceptance, or caught up to the popularity of standard two-dimensional chess. Part of the reason for this is that all of the prior art games have had one or more drawbacks that detract from the original reason for adding a third dimension to make the game more fun and exciting.
Three-dimensional chess and other board games have been developed in the prior art wherein boards are vertically aligned one above the other with the game pieces are moved in straight lines on a board as well as between boards. The prior art three-dimensional chess games have been unsuccessful because conventional thinking has led to the forms of three-dimensional chess disclosed in the foregoing patents being played much like two-dimensional chess.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,877,154 issued to Weaver on Sep. 13, 1932 discloses having a game board comprised of two vertically spaced-apart layer members. U.S. Pat. No. 3,684,285 issued to Kane on Aug. 15, 1972 discloses having a game board comprised of four vertically spaced-apart layer members. U.S. Pat. No. 3,767,201 issued to Harper et al. on Oct. 23, 1973 discloses a multi-level game board structure for three-dimensional chess and check games. U.S. Pat. No. 3,937,471 issued to Brennan on Feb. 10, 1976 discloses using two 8 times 8 game boards stacked one over the other, as well as additional chess pieces. U.S. Pat. No. 4,348,027 issued to Escamilla-Kelly on Sep. 7, 1982 discloses Multi-level game board apparatus. U.S. Pat. No. 4,927,157 issued to Riihiluoma et al. on May 22, 1990 discloses a chess-like board game apparatus and method of playing the game.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,112,056 issued to Ching on May 12, 1992 discloses Method of playing a three dimensional pyramidal-chess game. U.S. Pat. No. 5,277,419 issued to Craig on Jan. 11, 1994 discloses a three-layer three-dimensional game board system. U.S. Pat. No. 5,338,040 issued to Cutler on Aug. 16, 1994 discloses a three-dimensional chess game which is played on a four by four by four cubic chessboard. U.S. Pat. No. 5,556,099 issued to Mardirosian on Sep. 17, 1996 discloses a three-dimensional chess game having multiple tiers with role-static pieces and role-altering pieces. U.S. Pat. No. 5,678,819 issued to Underwood on Oct. 21, 1997 discloses a three-dimensional strategy game having three tier game boards with a grid pattern. U.S. Pat. No. 5,826,880 issued to Cooper on Oct. 27, 1998 discloses a multi-level chess game with additional chess pieces.
The problem of the prior art three-dimensional chess games is that they attempt to extend two-dimensional game piece movement into three dimensions where the actual three-dimensional game structure does not exist. Many of the prior art three-dimensional chess games did not successfully extend the chess game into three dimensions. They are still very much like planar games with separated multiple levels that pieces can move between the tiers.
Even though the prior art's innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, they would not be comparable for the purposes of the present invention as heretofore described.